An international operation to combat online fraud has led to the arrest of 3,500 suspects and the seizure of 300 million dollars (270 million euros), Interpol announced this Tuesday, warning against the use of artificial intelligence to steal identities .
The operation, called “HAECHI IV,” was carried out over six months, between July and December, with the cooperation of 34 countries, said the international criminal police organization based in Lyon, France.
It focused on seven types of cyber fraud, including voice phishing, romance scams, online sexual blackmail or money laundering associated with illegal online gambling.
82,000 accounts blocked
Investment fraud, through the violation of professional email or electronic commerce, represented 75% of the cases investigated.
Authorities blocked more than 82,000 suspicious bank accounts, resulting in a total seizure of $199 million in hard currency and $101 million in digital assets.
“It is notable that global efforts to anticipate the latest crime trends have resulted in considerable growth in operational results,” said Kim Dong Kwon, director of Interpol’s head office in South Korea, quoted in the press release.
NFT Fraud
As part of this large-scale operation, Interpol has issued two “purple” notices, related to the search or exchange of information on operation methods. One focused on a new fraud detected in Korea involving the sale of NFTs, digital tokens theoretically impossible to counterfeit, with promises of huge investment returns.
The other notice warns against the use of artificial intelligence and “deepfake” technology to make identity theft more credible.
The UK arm of the operation has reported several cases where synthetic AI-generated content was used to trick, harass or extort victims. Some cases have also involved imitating victims’ relatives using voice cloning technology.
Source: BFM TV
